New York City: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 27.4 in 2013 to 29.4 in 2014. Syracuse: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above stayed the same, at 8.5, from 2013 to 2014. Rochester: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 5.6 in 2013 to 5.7 in 2014. Yonkers: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 16.9 in 2013 to 18.7 in 2014. The state also introduced a new category of students: those who are partially proficient. They had to score a 2 on the tests. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-15/common-core-new-york-test-scores-show-little-improvement

Home-Price Gains Decelerate in Many Metro Areas During Second Quarter – Yahoo Finance

If insufficient data is reported for a MSA in particular quarter, it is listed as N/A. For areas not covered in the tables, please contact the local association of Realtors. 1The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC MSA and Wilmington, NC MSA will now be included in both the single-family and condo price report. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/home-price-gains-decelerate-many-140000973.html

According to Ron Costigan, owner of Pillar to Post Home Inspections of Southern Arizona, you can save; you just have to put in the work. “As long as your dryer is running and your air conditioner is running it’s sucking the air you’re paying for right out the roof,” Costigan said. For example, a dryer can suck the air out of a 1500 square foot home in just about 40 minutes. http://www.kvoa.com/news/easy-home-improvement-tips-to-help-lower-your-electric-bill/

Little Improvement Seen from China Stimulus Measures – NASDAQ.com

“When we were first putting the pieces together back then and creating some principles and our practice mission statement, what we didn’t realize was that we were really creating what would later be called the patient-centered medical home,” said Hawley. Romeo Medical Clinic was also part the TransforMED project, although it was randomly assigned to the control arm of the study, in which the physicians essentially worked on practice change without expert assistance. Even so, in 2009, the practice received a full three-year PCMH accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Inc. http://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20140813jabfm-pcmh.html

And fixed-asset investment in nonrural areas–a closely watched indicator of construction activity– rose 17.0% in the January-July period year on year, slower than the 17.3% increase in the January-June period. China doesn’t break out monthly totals. “Overall, economic growth is largely holding up,” said Societe Generale economist Yao Wei. “But a weak housing market means downside risks to growth is increasing not decreasing.” President Xi Jinping’s aggressive anticorruption campaign has also constrained growth, causing administrative paralysis among bureaucrats afraid to be targeted, analysts say, while also cutting into high-end retail sales and such services as catering for lavish official banquets. http://www.nasdaq.com/article/little-improvement-seen-from-china-stimulus-measures-20140813-00559

An Ormond Beach stay-at-home dad was arrested after police say he left his infant son locked up in his car in the parking lot of a home-improvement store while shopping for a plant. Enlarge Brian Epstein A Home Depot employee had approached the car to check it out since it had a For Sale sign on it and discovered the baby boy, police said. Brian Epstein, 33, is charged with child neglect and was being held without bail Wednesday the Volusia County Branch Jail. http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20140813/news/140819797

July was an improvement over June, when 306 homes sold in Bloomington-Normal. Homes priced at $300,000 and above don’t seem to sell as quickly as $100,000 to $200,000 homes, Montgomerie said. I think a lot of people are buying existing homes that are two to four years old and forgoing new construction, he said. August and September are traditionally slower months for home sales because of the start of school, he said. http://www.pantagraph.com/business/local/27c626d8-bdcb-5260-ae77-62c77c347473.html

Best Reusable Beverage Bottles About this blog By Anu Jameson Home improvement tips from Networx.com, a website where real people give unpretentious home & garden advice and share their experiences so that you can deal with your own house with more fun and less anxiety. Look here for cheap and time-efficient … X Home Improvement Home improvement tips from Networx.com, a website where real people give unpretentious home & garden advice and share their experiences so that you can deal with your own house with more fun and less anxiety. http://www.doverpost.com/article/20140809/BLOGS/308099999/-1/News